SG-13: Parallel
by StargateGenesis
Summary: Battle-hardened Stargate team SG-13 finds themselves trapped in a parallel universe where the Goa'uld were never defeated. UPDATE: Episode Three added 4/16/14.
1. Through the Looking Glass

**SG-13: Parallel**

**Episode 1**

**"Through the Looking Glass"**

**/Author's Note: SG-13 is a 5-episode miniseries loosely related to our ongoing Stargate fan series, Stargate Genesis, which you can find on our author page. You don't need to have read Stargate Genesis to understand this series. Stargate Genesis is set to continue in July with the premiere of Season Two./**

From the personal journal of Colonel Gary Benson:

_"The Stargate. Damn. I've been to hundreds of worlds around the galaxy, each one more of a shithole than the last. Makes me proud to be from Earth. Turns out, even after all the fighting and the wars, humans are the only damn species in the universe who know how to maintain a proper civilization. The reason my team goes through the Stargate time and time again is to find new technology and advantages against the aliens that can't leave well enough alone. First it was the Goa'uld, then the Ori; if it weren't for the damn aliens, the galaxy would be at peace by now. My team is 100% Earth-born human, and I wouldn't have it any other way."_

**~~00~~**

Colonel Gary Benson watched a small squirrel-like creature scurry up a pine tree. The blue light of the event horizon behind him sent shimmering patterns across the bark.

"This is Colonel Benson to Stargate Command," he said into his radio. "All clear on this end. We will dial home in three hours to make a report."

"Copy that, Colonel," came Harriman's voice. "Good luck out there."

There was a rush of sound as the Stargate shut down and the wormhole was severed.

"What do we have, doctor?" he asked.

"There is an energy signature emanating from a point just a few miles north of here," said Dr. Frank Wils. The man was an egghead, but not like any other egghead Benson knew. Wils was combat trained, and knew as much about hand-to-hand defense as he did about naquadah generators and Goa'uld dialects. Other SG team leaders might be content with slack-jawed four-eyed nerds slowing them down, but not Benson. He did not tolerate weak links.

SG-13 moved out, heading toward the energy signature.

"Keep your eyes open," said Major Elise Hurt. She lead, following Wils' directions. Benson followed behind Wils, and Captain Jared Smith took the rear.

Hurt and Smith were the muscle of Benson's team. Though she was the smallest member, Hurt was by far the toughest, and she was a natural leader. Benson was close to retirement, and he intended to recommend Hurt for a position as an SG team leader when he did.

Smith was quiet. In all the time he had served under Benson on SG-13, the man had never uttered more than five words in a row. Smith was a huge man; he was an excellent soldier who followed orders without hesitation and responded to changing scenarios with the reflexes of a veteran special ops agent, though he was the youngest member of the team.

Hurt stopped and unclipped the P90 from her vest. She held up a hand, signalling for the team to stop. Moving forward slowly, she trained her rifle on a cluster of small pines. The trees rustled, and then a four legged deer-like creature walked out from behind them.

"It's just an animal," she said.

"Major Hurt, spooked by a deer," said Wils, chuckling.

"Keep laughing, doc," said Hurt. "Just give me a reason."

"Steady," said Benson. "We're in unexplored territory. Don't get sloppy."

Leaving the deer, SG-13 crested a hill and looked out across a valley. In the middle of a clearing about a mile off, the remains of an ancient building stood.

"That's it," said Wils. "Those ruins are the origin point of the energy signature."

**~~00~~**

At the ruins, Benson watched as Wils assembled a tripod and perched a measuring instrument on it. The scientist carefully adjusted the device, jotting down notes on a handheld computer tablet as he went. Wils had positioned himself in the middle of what appeared to be the central room of the ruins. The entire building was about as big as a large house, and was built in a clearly recognizable Goa'uld style.

The walls of the neglected room were crumbling and in some places missing entirely, which afforded Benson a clear view of Major Hurt returning from a sweep of the perimeter.

"It looks like no one's been here in years, Colonel," said Hurt. "I found a few broken staff weapons, but nothing else."

Smith entered the room from the far side.

"All clear, Colonel," he said.

"It's strange," said Wils, still looking intensely at the instrument he had assembled. "There is an energy signature here, right here, but there's nothing left."

"Could it be underground?" asked Benson.

"No, it's right here," said Wils. "The thing is, I've seen these patterns before. Similar patterns are given off by a Zero Point Module."

"So what does that mean for us?" asked Hurt.

"It means this point in space is linked to a point in space in another reality," said Wils. "In the case of a ZPM, the link is to a pocket of subspace-time, but in this case, I think there is a link to a parallel universe."

"How is that possible?" asked Benson.

"There must be a device in the other reality that is creating a connection between the two universes," said Wils. "I think the room we are standing in might actually exist in a space shared by both realities."

Benson felt a drop of sweat form on his neck. The temperature in the air seemed to have suddenly risen by ten degrees.

"Let's make sure we stay in our universe, then," he said.

"That's the thing, Colonel," said Wils. "If we can't find the device creating the bridge, then I have no way of controlling what reality we end up in."

Benson heard a sound like the roar of an airplane in the air above him. He looked up to see a Jaffa death glider fly past. In a fraction of a second he had his P90 raised, tracing the glider's path.

"Colonel…" he heard Hurt say. Turning around, Benson saw three Jaffa warriors walking toward the ruins.

"Did the General say anything to you about Jaffa Nation activity on this planet?" whispered Hurt.

"Not Jaffa Nation…" breathed Smith.

Benson squinted his eyes at the still far-off Jaffa. Smith was right; warriors of the Free Jaffa Nation would never carry Goa'uld battle standards. He held up his hand and motioned for the team to leave quietly out the back entrance of the ruins.

**~~00~~**

Half an hour later, SG-13 had circled around to the hilltop where they had first spotted the ruins. Several groups of Jaffa warriors had gathered around the area.

"What the hell is going on?" hissed Benson.

"This is a Goa'uld scouting party," said Wils. "But I don't recognize the symbol the Jaffa are wearing."

"The Goa'uld were wiped out," said Benson. "They can't be here."

"We don't know for sure they are all gone, sir," said Hurt.

"More importantly, we don't know for sure we're still in the same reality," said Wils. "Did you notice the temperature has increased since we got here?"

"If you got us stuck in another reality, doc…" groaned Hurt.

"We're going to make a run for the gate," said Benson. "Right now we need to get back to Stargate Command."

"But what if this isn't our reality?" asked Wils.

"Yeah," said Hurt sharply, staring at Wils. "That would sure be unfortunate, doc."

"Even if this isn't our reality, there's a good chance that the reality we are in still has a Stargate Command," said Benson. "There are too many Jaffa down there, and they don't look like they're getting ready to leave. There's no way we'd make it back to the ruins, let alone with enough time for the doctor to figure out how to get us back home."

"We could try negotiating…" offered Wils.

"Maybe you don't remember the Goa'uld, doctor," said Benson, "but these bastards don't 'negotiate'."

**~~00~~**

Crouching behind a bush a few dozen meters from the stargate, Benson watched as a squadron of Jaffa warriors patrolled the clearing around the gate. There were four warriors; Benson's team had four members. The odds were in his favor. Turning to Hurt, he motioned for her to take point.

Hurt nodded and began to make her way toward the Jaffa. When she was close enough, she stepped out from behind a tree and took the first two guards out with her P90 before they had a chance to respond. The other two Jaffa raised their staff weapons to fire on her, but were cut down by Smith and Wils, who had circled around behind them.

"Dial the gate, doctor," called Benson, moving forward into the clearing. "Hurt, Smith, keep an eye out."

Wils ran to the DHD and punched in the address for Earth. As soon as the wormhole stabilized, he used his tablet to send the team's IDC through to Stargate Command.

"They've accepted our IDC," he said. "The iris is open for us."

A staff weapon blast narrowly missed him, scorching the ground near his feet.

"Let's move, people!" shouted Benson, firing his P90 in the direction the blast had come from. A squad of Jaffa warriors was running toward the gate. Wils ran through the event horizon, followed by Smith and Hurt. Benson was the last one through, firing at the oncoming Jaffa even as he stepped backward through the gate.

On the other side, Benson stepped through into Stargate Command.

"They're all through, close it down!" came an unfamiliar voice, before the wormhole disappeared.

Benson turned around to see the gate room full of airmen with their weapons aimed at his team. The side door opened and a man in a general's uniform walked through. The name printed on his uniform was "General Charles Kawalsky."

"Would someone please tell me who these people are, and how they got SG-13's IDC?" asked General Kawalsky.

**~~00~~**

SG-13 sat in the conference room in silence. The airman standing guard at the door stepped aside as General Kawalsky walked in, followed by another man wearing a colonel's uniform. Kawalsky set the folder he was carrying down on the table.

"Your story checks out," he said. "You've been cleared by medical, and I've seen this kind of thing before, so I'm authorizing all four of you for active duty here at Stargate Command, if you're interested. Colonel Lorne here will assist you all with the transition process."

Lorne nodded in agreement. "Whatever I can do to help," he said.

"Transition process?" barked Benson. "What makes you think we're staying here? I barely even know where 'here' is!"

"It's too dangerous to attempt to return to the planet you came from," said Lorne. "Frankly it was a stroke of luck you were even able to get out of there in the first place."

"You call it luck," smirked Hurt, crossing her arms. "I'm pretty sure it was the other thing."

"However you made it through the gate," said Kawalsky, "it will be much harder next time. Lord Utu's forces are occupying the planet. I won't risk any of my men or resources to get to a device you don't even know how to use."

"Lord Utu?" asked Wils. "As in Goa'uld?"

"Who did you think were firing staff weapons at you?" asked Kawalsky.

"In our reality the System Lords were wiped out years ago," continued Wils. "Not to mention the fact that Lord Utu was a minor system lord; he was a laughing stock among the Goa'uld."

"Nobody is laughing at him here," said Lorne. "Eight years ago we had the Goa'uld backed into a corner. The System Lords were broken and scattered, but then Lord Utu showed up. Within six months he had defeated every major power in the galaxy."

"But you're still here," said Wils. "Why would he leave you alone?"

"We made a deal with him," said Kawalsky, looking away.

"You made a deal with a Goa'uld?" yelled Benson incredulously.

"We did what we had to do," said Lorne. "Trust me, you've never met a Big Bad like Utu."

"Maybe in this reality they never encountered the Ori," said Wils, looking at Benson.

"Oh, we met the Ori," said Kawalsky. "They came here and tried to take over the galaxy, but Lord Utu kicked their asses and sent them packing. Haven't heard from them since."

"So what the hell do you do, if you're not working against this Utu guy?" asked Hurt.

"The same thing we've always done," responded Kawalsky. "Travel to unexplored planets and help where we can. Now I've got a lot on my plate, so I'll leave Colonel Lorne with you to show your team around."

**~~00~~**

Dr. Wils walked alongside Colonel Lorne down a hallway, while Benson, Hurt, and Smith followed behind.

"I've got to ask: have you met me in your reality?" asked Lorne.

"I don't know you well, but yeah, we've met," said Wils.

"What am I like?" asked Lorne.

"As far as I can tell, you're pretty much exactly the same," said Wils. "Last I heard you were stationed in Atlantis."

"Atlantis is real?" asked Lorne.

"We've been operating a command out of Atlantis for the past eight years," responded Wils. "You never found it?"

"We had people looking for it, but then when Utu showed up … we lost our lead man on the project," said Lorne. "Since then we've had bigger problems."

"What about us?" asked Wils. "Have you met your versions of us?"

"Actually, I don't recognize any of you," said Lorne.

"That's not surprising," said Wils. "It seems to me that the SG program here is not as large as the one we have back home."

"We're here," said Lorne. They had come to a short hallway with three doors on either side and one on the end. Four of the doors were open, and inside Wils could see beds and dressers.

"You've been assigned temporary living quarters here," said Lorne. "The bathroom is at the end of the hall, and the dining hall is two floors up. If you need anything, just ask. I'll be back later to check on you."

Lorne walked off, leaving SG-13 standing in the hallway. Hurt looked at Wils and shook her head.

"I am so gonna kill you, doc," she said.

"As if you could," he responded.

**~~00~~**

Benson, Hurt, Smith, and Wils sat together at a table in the cafeteria. Despite their situation, every member of the team knew well enough to eat when they could. They were in a reality foreign to them, and the odds of ever returning home were getting slimmer. Once they put a plan into motion, there was no way of knowing when they would get to eat again.

"So, what's our play?" asked Hurt, leaning in conspiratorially.

"If we can make it back to the planet, I may be able to reverse the process and bring us home," said Wils.

"How long would that take?" she asked.

"I have no idea," responded Wils. "I don't even know what it is that brought us here, and when we switched realities, there was still no device in those ruins. The catalyst might be in another reality."

"Blah, blah, science," said Hurt. "Give me a rough estimate."

"Maybe three hours," said Wils. "Assuming I can locate the device. Plus the area is crawling with Jaffa; if I am busy trying to get the device to work, there is no way we hold them off for three hours."

Hurt looked over at Smith, who smirked. "You think we need your help, doc?" she said.

"There is no play," interrupted Benson. "Back in our reality, General O'Neill is always talking about how great Major Kawalsky was. If this reality's Kawalsky is anything like him, I'm sure he will listen to reason."

**~~00~~**

Benson knocked on the General's office door.

"Come in," Kawalsky called.

Opening the door, Benson saw Kawalsky sitting at his desk, which was neat and orderly. On the wall in a row were framed photographs of Samantha Carter, Jack O'Neill, and a few other people Benson didn't recognize. As he walked in, Kawalsky shut the laptop in front of him and motioned to a chair in front of the desk.

"Have a seat, Colonel," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"Who are the people in the photos?" asked Benson, taking a seat. "I recognize Carter and O'Neill."

"Deceased members of SG-1," said Kawalsky. "Major Samantha Carter died after SG-1's second mission. An infant Goa'uld symbiote crawled into her head and tried to take over Stargate Command. Back then we knew so little about how the Goa'uld worked; we killed her right along with the parasite. She was one of the best the program's ever seen."

"In our reality, that's what happened to you," said Benson. "Samantha Carter is still alive. She went on to become a general, and now she runs Stargate Command."

Kawalsky looked over at Carter's picture and sighed. "Huh," he said. "Funny how things work out. I suppose you're going to tell me Jack O'Neill is still alive, too?"

"Actually, sir, he is," said Benson.

Kawalsky stared at the photographs on the wall, deep emotions stirring inside him. Sam and Jack weren't here, and yet he was. Hearing how it might have happened another way, he knew that who lived and who died all came down to random chance. He wasn't here because he had earned it; he was here because sixteen years ago an infant Goa'uld was closer to Sam's head than his.

"My team and I need to go home," said Benson, bringing Kawalsky back to the present.

"I told you, that's not an option," said Kawalsky. "It's too dangerous to risk any of my men."

"We'll do it alone," said Benson. "Just let us go through the gate. We don't have a place here; it is worth the risk for us if it means we might be able to get back to where we belong."

Kawalsky considered Benson. "I appreciate the sentiment, Colonel, I really do," he said. "And I might consider it, if the situation weren't so extreme. Lord Utu himself is going to land on that planet, and I promise you don't want to be there when he does."

An alarm began to wail, and a flashing red light lit up on the wall.

"Unscheduled gate activation," came a voice over the loudspeaker.

**~~00~~**

Kawalsky and Benson walked into the command room overlooking the stargate. The iris was closed.

"We're getting a video communication," said the technician. "It's Lord Utu, sir."

"Put him on," said Kawalsky, walking over to a large monitor on one side of the room.

The monitor blinked to life and revealed a Goa'uld host with his back turned to the camera. Beyond him were a row of Jaffa warriors. When the Goa'uld turned around, Benson did a double take. Though he was wearing a gold breastplate and dark makeup around his eyes, the man on camera was unmistakable.

"Is that… Daniel Jackson?" asked Benson.

"It was," said Kawalsky bitterly, "but these days he prefers the name 'Lord Utu'."

Jackson's eyes flashed yellow as he stepped toward the camera.

"Ah, General Kawalsky," he said with the unnatural growl of a Goa'uld. "It has been too long."

**Written by Caleb Palmquist**


	2. The Gods Themselves

**SG-13: Parallel**

**Episode 2**

**"The Gods Themselves"**

From the personal journal of Major Elise Hurt:

_"I finally got assigned to a team I don't have to babysit. Well, Wils is a dork but he looks like he can handle himself. Smith and I go back a long way — I was the one who recruited him to the program. Colonel Benson is a tough old bastard, which is exactly what a team needs in a leader. The man hates aliens; sometimes I think all he wants to do is find some and kick their asses. I'm not so particular: I'll kick anyone's ass, as long as Stargate Command thinks they're a bad guy."_

**~~00~~**

General Charles Kawalsky stood in front of a monitor displaying the live image of Goa'uld System Lord Utu, who for the last eight years had inhabited the body of Dr. Daniel Jackson. Colonel Gary Benson stood next to Kawalsky, still trying to wrap his mind around this new development.

"What do you want, Utu?" asked Kawalsky. "You know our agreement forbids you from coming to Earth."

"Oh Charles," said Utu, "you do jump to conclusions. I just want to talk."

"Then talk," said Kawalsky impatiently.

"My Jaffa tell me they spotted an SG team on this planet," said Utu, smiling. "They took out four of my guards before escaping through the stargate."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," responded Kawalsky.

"Do not lie to me!" snarled Utu. "You are quick to remind me of our agreement; you would do well to remember that the terms also dictate that your people are not to occupy any world I lay claim to."

"Are my people still there?" asked Kawalsky.

Utu stared, his eyes flashing yellow.

"Then it's not much of an occupation, is it?" Kawalsky finished.

"Be warned, General," growled Utu. "The next time I see your men on my soil, there will be no escape."

"Noted," said Kawalsky. The image on the monitor blinked off, and then a rushing sound came from the gate room as the stargate severed the active wormhole. The general turned toward Benson.

"Colonel?" he asked. "Are you alright?"

Benson's face was shimmering; parts of it were shifting in and out of transparency. He looked down at his hands, which seemed to be flickering out of focus, like a television set with a bad signal.

"What the hell is happening to me?" he asked.

**~~00~~**

"Entropic cascade failure," said Dr. Fraiser. "If we don't get him back to his native reality soon, the Colonel will die."

Fraiser and Kawalsky stood next to the hospital bed on which Benson lay. Hurt, Wils, and Smith stood on the other side of the bed.

"We've seen this before," said Kawalsky. "Two years after the stargate program started, alternate versions of Samantha Carter and myself came through the quantum mirror we had stored at Area 51. Before we could get them back to their own reality, the alternate reality version of me began to experience entropic cascade failure, breaking down on a cellular level. The alternate Carter wasn't affected, because our Carter had already died."

"There was a similar event in our reality," said Wils. "Increased entropy caused by multiple versions of the same person in one reality cause the non-native versions to break down."

"Exactly," said Fraiser. "Our reality will essentially attempt to eject the foreign matter — in this case, Colonel Benson."

Benson shuddered violently on the bed as he was hit with another spasm.

"Arggh!" he groaned. "Why is this only happening to me?"

"After you got here, we ran searches for all of you in our reality, and the only known living member of your team is you, Colonel," said Kawalsky. "Major Hurt and Doctor Wils were both killed in action several years ago, and there is no record of any Jared Smith matching his description, Captain or otherwise."

Smith looked over at Hurt, who shrugged.

"Who am I in this reality?" asked Benson.

"Well …" said Kawalsky. "You're a high school football coach."

"Hey, that's the perfect job for you, Colonel!" said Wils.

"You should consider a career change when we get home," said Hurt.

"Enough," said Benson. "Kawalsky, you said you had a quantum mirror. Where is it?"

"We kind of destroyed it after the whole 'entropic cascade failure' thing," said Kawalsky. "We didn't anticipate that we'd have to deal with this problem again."

"Damnit," grumbled Benson. "First I find out Jackson's a Goa'uld, and now the universe itself is going to eject me, just because some damn football coach didn't have the decency to die before I got here."

"Hold up," interjected Wils. "Did you just say that Daniel Jackson is a Goa'uld?"

"It's a long story," sighed Kawalsky, "and a painful subject for many of us."

"You morons," groaned Benson. "How did you manage to let an asset like Dr. Jackson fall into the hands of a hostile alien?"

"I won't debate the particulars of an incident that happened eight years ago, Colonel," said Kawalsky. "The fact is, it happened, and now you know why I can't allow you to go back through that gate."

"There has to be another way," said Wils. "You can't just let Colonel Benson die here."

"We could kill the football coach," suggested Hurt. Everyone in the room glared at her.

"Joking, joking," she said.

Dr. Fraiser put a hand on Benson's shoulder.

"I'm authorizing you to move about the base, but you need to take it easy," she said.

Fraiser walked off, leaving SG-13 with General Kawalsky.

"What about Atlantis?" asked Wils.

"Atlantis, as in the lost city of the Ancients?" responded Kawalsky. "Do you know how to get there?"

"Yes," said Wils. "If you have a large enough power source, we can go there."

"No, we can't," grunted Benson. "If this reality's Daniel Jackson has all the same repressed knowledge of ascension that ours does, then Lord Utu knows about Atlantis. He probably took over Pegasus just like he did the Milky Way."

"What about the Wraith?" asked Wils. "Don't you think they would have fought back?"

"I don't know who these 'Wraith' are," said Kawalsky, "but Lord Utu has a track record of dealing with rivals quickly and efficiently. Chances are the Wraith are either enslaved or wiped out."

"What exactly do you think we'll find at Atlantis anyway, doc?" asked Hurt. "I've never heard of a quantum mirror being found there, or any other Ancient tech that could help us get home."

"The only way we know we can get home is the way we came," said Wils. "What we need is a distraction."

**~~00~~**

Hurt and Smith silently suited up in a locker room. The two of them had always had a quiet bond - a way of communicating without speaking. Ever since Major Hurt had found Smith and introduced him to the Stargate program, he was fiercely loyal to her, and since then he had saved her life enough times that she trusted him without question. They both changed into their uniforms without modesty. Hurt's frame was slender compared to Smith's hulking form. As he pulled a shirt over his head, Hurt glanced at the deep scars across his back, a permanent reminder of the life he had left behind. She worried that going back to Pegasus would be too painful for the still young man.

In a rare moment of softness, Hurt looked at Smith. _Are you ready for this?_ her eyes seemed to say.

Smith's eyes betrayed his weariness at what was to come. _Do you think it will be the same in this universe?_

Hurt finished lacing her boots and stood up. "Things are different here. He could be dead a long time ago."

"If I end up like Colonel Benson, I will be of no use to the team," said Smith.

Hurt put her hand on Smith's shoulder and looked into his eyes. Smith returned her gaze. The confidence and ferocity in her eyes was all he needed to know that whatever happened on the mission, she would back him up. Whatever it took.

**~~00~~**

SG-13 stood in the gateroom with an SG team led by Colonel Lorne that Kawalsky had assigned to accompany them. Colonel Benson was among them. Fraiser had warned against it, but Wils was able to convince her that travelling to another galaxy - away from this reality's Benson - would lessen the effects of entropic cascade failure.

"Are you sure you want to send your own men with us, General?" asked Hurt. "We are from another universe. You are risking your peoples' lives to get us home."

"I'm not doing it for you," said Kawalsky. "If what you claim is true, then this mission could finally give us the tool we need to take down Utu. I'm giving up our only ZPM for this, so it better work."

"Where is it, exactly, that we are going?" asked Lorne.

"I've programmed a subroutine into the dialing device," explained Wils. "We're going to be dialing straight to Atlantis, but before we come out on the other side, we will be redirected to a small backwater planet that should be well off the radar."

"We will send a drone through first to check for signs of a Goa'uld presence, and if it is clear, I'll authorize you to go through the gate," said Kawalsky. "Just remember that this is the only ZPM we have. Once you're through, you'll have to find your own way back."

"Our team can locate another ZPM, confirm the existence of the weapon Wils told you about, and track down the Vanir," said Hurt. "Shouldn't be a problem."

"And you're sure that this weapon exists in this universe?" asked Kawalsky.

"No way to know for sure," said Benson, "but if Doctor Wils thinks it might be, then it's worth a shot. I trust the doc with my life."

"What is a Vanir?" asked Lorne.

"Remember the Asgard?" asked Hurt.

"Yeah," said Lorne.

"Well, the Vanir are just like the Asgard," said Hurt. "Only evil."

"Great," said Lorne.

"Let's get going," said Hurt.

Kawalsky gave the signal to Harriman to start the dialing sequence. The stargate came to life.

"Chevron one locked," announced Harriman over the loudspeaker as the first symbol of the Atlantis address slid into place.

**~~00~~**

**One Week Later:**

Benson stood in the center of camp, watching the sun rise and drinking a hot cup of coffee. He grimaced; the coffee was much better back in his own universe. Around him were the three tents that made up the headquarters of their little Pegasus expedition. What a backwards reality this was. The morning air on this planet was at least crisp and refreshing. The camp was in a large clearing surrounded by a temperate forest. Given the distance from his counterpart back on Earth, he hadn't felt a tremor from entropic cascade failure since they set up camp. Benson closed his eyes and allowed himself to appreciate this small moment of peaceful reprieve.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Doctor Wils making his way back to the camp, accompanied by Colonel Lorne and his team. Captain Smith and Major Hurt emerged from the mess tent with coffee and breakfast rations. On seeing Wils heading for the camp, Hurt called out to him.

"Got some good news this time doc?" she shouted. "I'm getting pretty tired of your incompetent ass coming back empty-handed."

"Well good morning to you too, Major!" replied Wils as he walked into the camp with Lorne and his team. "Did you get your beauty sleep?"

Hurt and Smith had sat down at the table in the center of the clearing and were eating their breakfasts when Wils set a case down on the table. He looked over at Lorne and smiled.

"Good work today, Colonel," he said.

"Thanks in no small part to your intel, doctor," said Lorne.

Wils opened the case and pulled out a crystalline Zero Point Module, the power source that would allow them to return to the Milky Way once their mission was complete.

"Bravo, doc," said Hurt. "You make it look so easy. What did you do, steal this one from a bunch of children?"

"Well…" started Wils.

"Excellent work, men," said Benson, looking at Lorne's team. "Have a seat, and I'll bring you some breakfast rations. I need some more shitty coffee anyway."

"I'll join you, Colonel," said Lorne. The rest of his men sat down at the table and continued discussing the questionable method of ZPM acquisition with Hurt and Wils.

"Quite a risk you took, coming here with us without a sure way back home," said Benson as he poured two cups of coffee, handing one to Lorne.

"I've seen the confidence you have in your team, and I know trust like that isn't earned easily," said Lorne. "I knew we'd make it back. There was never any risk of being stranded here."

"If Wils can find that device, and we set it off, you can be damn sure there's going to be a risk," said Benson. "Hellfire and brimstone kind of risk."

"As long as it's raining down on Lord Utu," said Lorne, "that's the kind of risk I'm willing to take."

When Benson and Lorne came back with breakfast rations for everyone, Wils caught Benson's eye.

"We may have a lead on the device," said Wils. "There is a rumor that before Lord Utu showed up, the Vanir found it and were planning to use it on the Wraith."

"But when Utu showed up, the Wraith would have been the last of their worries," said Hurt.

"Exactly," said Wils. "If what we heard is correct, the Vanir pretty much went AWOL after Lord Utu showed up. They stopped fighting the Wraith, and they never used the weapon."

"Do you think they still have it?" asked Benson. "Don't you think the Vanir would have used it by now?"

"It's possible that they never recovered the control key from Atlantis," explained Wils. "In our universe the Vanir found the device in one of Janus' abandoned labs, but the key was in Atlantis. They may have the device, but it's useless without the key."

"And how does that help us?" asked Hurt. "As far as we can tell, Atlantis is the center of Utu's occupation here. Trying to get in would be suicide."

"I think sometimes you forget how smart I am, Major," said Wils. "Before I was assigned to field missions, I worked in Area 51, studying and backwards engineering alien tech. I've studied the control key back home, and I can replicate its function. At least well enough to set it off one time."

"One time is all we need," said Benson.

"How are we going to find the Vanir?" asked Lorne. "We've been here a week, running missions every day, and so far all we've heard are rumors."

"In our universe, the Vanir kept a number of secret bases not even the Ancients knew about," said Wils. "I say we dial every one of those addresses until we find them."

"Sounds good to me," said Benson.

"Didn't you say the Vanir were evil?" asked Lorne. "Is it a good idea to barge in on them?"

"With any luck they will see the benefit of teaming up with us," said Hurt. "In our reality, we found similar common ground against the Wraith."

Captain Smith suddenly stood up and walked off toward the bunk tent. Hurt stood up and followed him. Wils and Benson exchanged a look, but said nothing.

"We can be ready to start dialing the addresses you mentioned this afternoon," said Lorne. "I'll get my team to prep the drones we'll need."

"Good," said Benson, watching Hurt follow Smith into the bunk tent. "The sooner we can get our hands on that weapon, the better."

**~~00~~**

As Smith walked into the tent, he shuddered. He looked down at his hands, which seemed to be shifting in and out of focus. He felt Hurt's hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to look at her.

_Are you okay?_ her eyes seemed to say.

Smith glanced away, considering the implications of what was happening to him. If he was experiencing entropic cascade failure like Benson had, that could only mean one thing. _He's here, in the Pegasus Galaxy._

Hurt reached up and put her hand on Smith's face, turning it back toward hers so that he was forced to look at her again. _We're nearly done. You can make it._

The tent flap opened as Benson walked in.

"Everything okay in here?" he asked.

Hurt looked at Smith, who nodded.

"Yes, sir," said Hurt. "Nothing to worry about."

"Good," said Benson. "We don't have time for some kind of daytime TV drama bullshit. Gear up, we'll be heading to the gate soon."

**~~00~~**

Kalel stood at the gate control station, making adjustments for the coming mission. The survival of his people was at stake, and the execution of the maneuver needed to be exact. Fortunately, no race in any known galaxy was more brilliant or proficient at calculating complex wormhole physics than the Vanir, and among all the Vanir, Kalel was by far the most adept.

His sense of self-satisfaction vanished and was replaced by annoyance as the Wraith who called himself Guide stepped into the room.

"Are the calculations complete, Kalel of the Vanir?" asked Guide. Kalel looked over at the Wraith, who had a starburst-shaped tattoo around his left eye. The tendency to mar one's body with disfiguring ink was typical of a species who held their physical forms in sickeningly high regard. It was one of many alarming habits Kalel had been forced to tolerate ever since the last bands of Wraith had joined with the Vanir.

"The calculations are complete, and accurate," said Kalel.

"Nevertheless, I will confirm their accuracy myself," said Guide.

Suddenly the stargate came alive, and began to spin.

"There are no scheduled incoming activations at this time," said Kalel. "Lord Utu and his ilk should not know of this address. Unless your people have betrayed us, Guide."

The first chevron on the stargate locked.

"Impossible!" growled Guide, baring his teeth. "Perhaps one of our spies is returning earlier than planned. What does the transmission say?"

The second chevron locked.

"There is no transmission," said Kalel. "We must raise the shield."

"Wait!" said Guide as the third chevron activated. "If Lord Utu had discovered our location from one of our spies, he would have also ascertained the transmission code in order to fool us into leaving the gate open."

The fourth chevron locked. The gate shield was still not activated.

"And even if he has discovered our location without learning the code, we need to know for sure," said Guide. "If we activate the shield, whatever comes through the gate will be destroyed, and we will never know what it was."

The fifth chevron activated.

"You would have us leave the shield down and allow the trespassers access to our base?" asked Kalel.

The sixth chevron locked.

"I am activating this base's self-destruct sequence," said Guide. "If Lord Utu's forces have discovered our location, then this base is forfeit. He cannot be allowed to discover its secrets."

Kalel nodded. Though it hurt him to admit it, Guide was right. Without allowing the intruders to walk through the gate, they would have no way of knowing if Utu knew of their location, and if Utu did know of their location, their lives and the secrets of the base were forfeit anyway. The few secrets the Vanir and the Wraith had were the only weapons they could use against Utu and his legions. Kalel entered his activation code and completed the sequence Guide had started, initiating the self-destruct countdown.

The seventh chevron locked. The event horizon burst forth from the stargate and then settled into a shimmering blue pool. The open gate cast blue light into the room where it clashed with the red glare of the self-destruct lights. Kalel and Guide waited patiently, watching the stargate. A small machine on treaded wheels rolled through the event horizon. It appeared to be some sort of reconnaissance drone.

After a moment, a human man stepped through, wearing a uniform that was completely alien to the Vanir and the Wraith. The man held his hands up in the air as he stepped forward into the room.

"My name is Doctor Frank Wils of Earth," said the man. "And I come in peace."

"How did you discover our location, Frank Wils?" growled Guide.

"Where I'm from is a long story," said Wils, "but my purpose is not: I know you have a device that can stop Lord Utu, but you lack the key to activate it. I have the key, and I am willing to give it to you."

"What device do you speak of, human?" said Kalel.

"The Attero device," said Wils.

**Written by Caleb Palmquist**


	3. Stranger in a Strange Land

**SG-13: Parallel**

**Episode 3**

**"Stranger in a Strange Land"**

From the personal journal of Doctor Frank Wils:

_"In Area 51 we took alien technology apart and put it back together again like children playing with LEGO blocks. Each time a new weapon came into the lab, it was my team's job to make it stronger, more efficient, and preferably more deadly. Unlike the teams in the field, we had the luxury of studying a single alien artifact for months at a time. We weren't always successful - sometimes a project was considered too dangerous and scrapped. The original artifacts would be sealed in a vault at Area 51 and our notes would be collected and added to the base's archive, in case the project was ever revisited. Then, my team would begin work on another technology from some other corner of the universe. I never forget the abandoned projects, because I don't truly consider them abandoned, even now. Failure isn't really my thing."_

**~~00~~**

"Is it alright if I tell the rest of my team to come through the gate?" asked Wils cautiously. He stood in a Vanir gate room, looking at a Vanir and a Wraith that he immediately recognized as Todd, a Wraith scientist who had spent several years at Area 51 during the time Wils was stationed there. While Wils was confident in his combat training, he knew even he couldn't take down a Wraith in close-quarters combat, especially this particular one.

"If another …. human... steps through that Stargate, I will drain the life from him myself," snarled the Wraith.

"Alright, alright," said Wils. "Let's talk."

"You claim to know of the Attero device," said the Vanir. "How did you come upon this knowledge?"

"I am from a parallel reality," explained Wils. "Where I am from, we studied the Attero device. If we work together, I believe we can modify the device to target Lord Utu's ships."

"And how do we know you are not a spy, Frank Wils?" growled the Wraith.

"You don't. But I know that the control key to the Attero device is in Atlantis, which is crawling with Lord Utu's forces. And I know how to build another one," said Wils. "Both of you represent races that once ruled entire galaxies, and now you've been reduced to hiding on forgotten, backwater moons just to survive. The question is, if I am telling the truth, isn't it worth a shot?"

**~~00~~**

**One Week Later:**

Smith sat on his cot in the temporary quarters the Vanir had provided him in their subterranean base. He looked up as two Wraith walked passed in the hallway. He shivered slightly. Whether it was from the memories seeing the Wraith stirred in him, or from the increasingly difficult to hide symptoms of entropic cascade failure, he couldn't be sure. If Colonel Benson knew what was going on, and that it had started when they arrived in the Pegasus Galaxy, he wouldn't be happy. Benson hated aliens, and though Smith looked human, he was born and raised in the Pegasus Galaxy, under the shadow of the Wraith. Entropic cascade failure meant that there was a version of him alive in this universe. More than anything, Smith was afraid of finding out what he would have become if he had never left.

Major Hurt entered the room, interrupting Smith's train of thought.

"They are going to turn on the device soon," she said, "We need to be ready to move out."

Benson appeared in the doorway.

"The Vanir are getting impatient," he said. "Kalel told me that if we don't get there soon, he's going to start without us."

"You can tell Kalel that I don't take orders from E.T.," said Hurt.

"Tell him yourself, Major," said Benson. "He's a vicious little bastard."

Smith looked down at his left hand, which was shimmering. He quickly covered his hand with the blanket on his cot. Benson looked at him and cocked his head.

"Everything okay there?" Benson asked.

"Fine," said Smith.

"Alright," said Benson, turning around and walking down the hallway toward the lab.

Hurt waited until Wils was gone and then turned to look at Smith.

"Not gonna fall apart on me, are you?" she asked.

Smith returned her gaze. _Don't worry about me,_ his eyes seemed to say.

"The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back home," said Hurt. "I've got your back, you know that."

Smith nodded. He felt something pulling at him, trying to rip him from existence. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing himself to resist the pull. Only a little while longer.

**~~00~~**

In the laboratory that had been set up to work on the Attero device, Wils made the final adjustments to the control key he had built. Guide and Kalel were turning on the massive generators that would power the modified Attero device, and Colonel Lorne and his team stood around looking tough. On the other end of the lab was a secondary stargate that Guide and his Wraith had salvaged and set up.

Studying the original control key at Area 51 had given Wils the know-how to duplicate it from the materials the Vanir had on hand, but calibrating the Attero device to target Lord Utu's ships rather than Wraith vessels was another task altogether. Ultimately, the decision was made to expand the range of the device to hit anything that entered hyperspace, including Wraith and Vanir vessels. The resistance movement was small, and it was easy enough to get the message out to ground all friendly ships - any that didn't get the message would be considered necessary casualties.

The last problem they had run up against was the reason Janus had originally abandoned the Attero device - it had historically caused every activated stargate within its range to build up an enormous amount of energy behind the event horizon and explode.

"So, explain to me again how we are going to get out of here alive?" asked Lorne, who had walked over to where Wils was working. "You told me this thing makes stargates supernova, and once its on it will turn anything entering hyperspace into dust. Seems like you didn't leave us an escape route."

"We developed a workaround, Colonel," said Wils. "See that extra stargate over there? That one, and the one we're going to connect it to, are the only two stargates that will overload. All the others will be fine, so we can escape through the main gate in the gate room."

"How did you manage to do that? I thought you said not even Janus could figure it out," said Lorne.

"Well, it was Guide's idea, actually," said Wils. "Basically, we are going to modulate the subspace frequency through a Wraith organic polymer that will allow localization of specific-"

"English, doctor," said Lorne impatiently.

"I don't know how I could make it any simpler, Colonel Lorne," responded Wils.

"Forget it," said Lorne. "What address are you going to dial with this gate?"

"Atlantis," said Wils.

"That's where Lord Utu's main base is in the Pegasus galaxy," said Lorne. "If you destroy it, his forces will be crippled…"

"Genius, isn't it?" said Wils, smiling.

It was the perfect plan, until the Jaffa showed up.

Wils looked up as the alarm began to wail.

"What is that?" he asked.

"There has been an unscheduled stargate activation," said Kalel.

"Raise the shield!" growled Guide into the comm system.

"Do you think that will hold them?" asked Wils.

"I developed the gate shield myself," said Kalel. "It is infallible."

"Let's hope so," said Lorne.

**~~00~~**

Two Vanir stood at the control panel in the gate room as the event horizon opened, bursting forth into the room before settling into a shimmering pool of light.

"Shields up," said the first Vanir, watching as an energy field materialized in front of the event horizon.

"Incoming," said the second Vanir. He watched the gate, expecting to see a slight distortion in the shield as the first incoming object crashed against it. Instead, a Jaffa warrior appeared, walking straight through the shield unharmed. He was followed by two more Jaffa, who took aim and fired on the Vanir. They both crumpled to the ground as more Jaffa began to stream in through the gate. The first Vanir, mortally wounded but not yet gone, looked at his fallen brother before activating the comm system and using his last breath to warn the others.

"The gate is breached. Protect the device…"

**~~00~~**

Hurt and Smith were running toward the lab when four Jaffa appeared in front of them. Smith and Hurt took aim and easily took out two of the Jaffa, but as they closed the distance Hurt was hit in the shoulder by an energy weapon blast. Smith let his P90 drop to his side and pulled the two knives strapped to his vest from their sheaths. Sprinting forward, he easily parried the Jaffa's attempts to strike him with their staffs, and then buried the knives into each of their necks. The Jaffa collapsed to the floor, and Smith bent over to retrieve his blades.

"Hello?" came Wils' voice over Smith's headset.

"Doc!" shouted Benson over the comm. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, but they've got us surrounded," said Wils. "A little help would be nice!"

"I've got a man down!" said Lorne. "Hurry!"

"We have dialed the secondary gate to Atlantis," said Guide, "and we are preparing to activate the Attero device."

Smith turned back to look at Hurt, who was leaning against the wall. Her shoulder was bleeding, and she looked faint.

"Go!" she yelled. "Ill catch up!"

"I'm coming to assist you, Smith," said Benson. "I'm three minutes out."

As Smith turned down the hallway he felt it again - a shiver that seemed to emanate from the very root of his being. Suddenly a man turned around the corner ahead of Smith, blocking his path. And then he understood.

Standing ten feet from him was a man exactly identical to Smith, except that he was wearing the armor of a Jaffa and had the symbol of Lord Utu tattooed on his forehead. He thought in this reality that he might be dead, or still in Wraith captivity, but this was so much worse.

"You." said Smith. He twitched painfully, feeling himself being peeled from reality as entropic cascade failure began in earnest.

"Who are you?" barked his double.

"I'm you, from another life," said Smith through clenched teeth. He stepped forward and peered into the eyes of his counterpart. He could see all the pain that he knew so well. Growing up in a village in the Pegasus galaxy, until the Wraith came to cull. Watching his family die and then being spared death only to become a runner, forced to flee for his life again and again for the entertainment of Wraith hunters.

But there was more pain than Smith knew. This man would still be called Kanaan, the name Smith left behind along with his old life when Major Hurt found him and introduced him to Stargate Command. In this universe, Major Hurt never came. Lord Utu did.

"There is a better path," said Smith, before crying out and falling to his knees. The pain was unbearable. He didn't have much more time. He knew the process would be sped up by proximity.

"My path is the service of my god," said Kanaan, watching the man who looked just like him struggle to keep from falling to the floor.

"A life in service of a false god…" heaved Smith, putting one hand on the floor to steady himself, "is no life at all."

Kanaan considered Smith, who was convulsing and shimmering, as if his body was trying to make up his mind whether it even wanted to be there. Kanaan's eyes flashed with the pain of a lifetime of suffering and servitude - first from the Wraith, and now from Lord Utu. Could escape from this life be possible? Or was this man simply an apparition?

Kanaan's head snapped backward, and he fell dead to the floor. Blood began to seep out of the bullet wound in his forehead. Smith felt the pain and the effects of entropic cascade failure vanish. He looked behind him to see Major Hurt standing there, pistol still raised.

"Why?" he asked. _There was hope for him._

"Like they say," said Hurt walking forward toward Smith, "ours is the only reality of consequence."

"Your shoulder…" said Smith, standing up.

"I'll be fine," said Hurt.

Colonel Benson walked around the corner and saw Kanaan dead on the floor, recognizing him as the alternate reality version of Smith.

"I thought you said you were from Kansas," said Benson. Smith looked away.

"Let's go, Captain Smith," said Benson. "We've got a mission to complete."

Smith stood up, and Hurt took point down the hallway.

**~~00~~**

Wils looked over at the secondary stargate, which was maintaining a stable wormhole connection to Atlantis.

"Activate the device, Frank Wils!" shouted Guide impatiently. Wils entered a command into the control key in his hand. As the Attero device began to hum, Benson, Hurt, and Smith burst in the lab door, followed by three Wraith and two Vanir in battle armor.

"We've got a lot more coming!" shouted Hurt. She and Smith started firing back into the hallway, along with Colonel Lorne. Two of Lorne's team lay dead on the ground near the door.

"We need to clear a path back to the gate room!" responded Wils.

Kalel pulled up a live feed of the security system on his console. The video from the gate room showed Jaffa streaming in through the gate almost constantly. Feeds from other parts of the base showed Jaffa swarming the halls and killing any Wraith or Vanir they found. Kalel looked around the room and counted the survivors. Including the Wraith, Vanir and humans that had just arrived, there were fifteen total.

"I do not think that will be possible, Colonel Benson," he reported.

"What about that gate?" asked Benson, pointing to the active stargate in the room.

"The Attero device is already turned on," said Wils. "It's only a matter of time before this gate and the one in Atlantis explode with enough force to take down a whole solar system!"

"Can you shut down the device?" asked Benson.

"We cannot, Gary Benson," said Guide.

An energy blast from a Goa'uld weapon flew into the room and struck the far wall. Smith tossed a frag grenade into the hallway.

"What do you mean you cannot?" asked Benson.

"I tried to talk them out of it…" said Wils. "Guide and Kalel thought that the best way to ensure the success of the mission was to make the activation irreversible. Even if you destroyed the machine, the damage is already done. The signal sent out by the Attero device won't stop until one - or both - of the stargates is destroyed."

"We can't hold them off much longer!" shouted Hurt. Even with the armored Vanir and the Wraith backing them up, Smith and Hurt were pinned down by Goa'uld weapons fire.

Benson considered their situation. God knows how many snake-heads were encroaching on their location, Hurt was badly wounded, and their only way out was straight into the enemy stronghold - which was rigged to explode. He looked around at his team, and his gaze lingered for a moment on Captain Smith. How he could have missed that Smith was an alien the whole time was something Benson couldn't fathom, but that was a question for another day. If they made it to another day.

"We can stand and fight, or we can go through that gate and hope that if by some miracle we don't die as soon as we step out the other side, there might be another way out," said Benson.

"Staying here is a death sentence," said Lorne. "If we have any shot at living, it's through that gate."

"Your human optimism is disgusting," growled Guide.

"Let's move out," said Benson, ignoring the Wraith.

Colonel Gary Benson was not having a good day.

**Written by Caleb Palmquist**


End file.
